Golden Fox
by Daitoshi
Summary: The Kyuubi was a strict leader, not particularly kind, but understanding of the problems of others. He watched with interest as the first humans moved into his lands, making their homes and naming them after the elements. He was fascinated with them
1. Chapter 1

Long ago, before the Elemental Countries had been founded, great deamon lords had ruled the land. They were borne of the elements themselves, embodied in the forms that best suited their powers. Minor demons and middle-class beasts were always having disputes with each other, a strange inbred hatred for one another seperating them. Over time, the demon lords had become irritated with the destruction these petty battles created, and when a tsunami from one of the water-oriented demons nearly drowned one of the great lords:: The bird-shaped fire elemental. Nicknamed Pheonix :: The lords banished the foolish ones into another relm.

Only the higher-class Demons remained.

With power, minds of deamons became clearer, their intelligence expanding and bloodlust supressed. The Lords looked over the nine remaining deamons from the banishing, and looked into the relm the smaller deamons had been forced into. The lords gifted each of the remaining nine with a way to compair powers and decide leadership, and followed the little ones into the relm.

No lies may be spoken by them or their direct offspring, each tailed beast taking up the position of leader being granted this curse.

However, that also proved to be a blessing. At the time of birth or death, when the power and soul of a being was being directly influenced, A deamon lord or their offspring may choose to grant the creature abilities or traits. Not many deamons chose to exercise this gift, though more out of ignorence how to use it, than scorn, though that was their cover.

Their Deamon power was symbolized by the numerous tails, the most powerful being the Kyuubi no Kitsune, or nine-tailed fox.

He was not a particularly kind leader, but was quite fair to his own kind, and to those who respected him. He was said to have fire-red fur, and crimson eyes that glowed the shade of a dying sun. His reign spanned over most of the continent, letting the other tailed beasts share portions of his land, so long as they made their own as well, and pledged not to attempt to conqure his land: not that anyone would dare try, anyway.

Unlike the Orochi demon lord, or the Neku, The Kitsune allowed his subjects to gain as many tails as they pleased, encuraging their love for knowlage. It was discovered, by the lord himself, that if one has more than two tails of power, they may learn to transform into another creature, or cast illusions upon themselves to mask their presence and size. The first was usually prefurred, for huge pawmarks would not trail after the masked fox, and their distinct canine scent would dissapear.

When humans began to trickle into the southern portion of the great fox's domain, instead of simply killing them out, he watched their progress, sending some of his kitsunes to inform the other tailed deamons, and request they leave the strange furrless creatures alone. He watched as they built the first few cities, named after the elements, and started to train their kits to be stronger, faster, and to channel energy to create powerful attacks. He purred in amusement when the Fire-named ones took up residence in what was once his nightly resting place, hewing their great leader's face into the mountainside that had once served as his back scratcher. They were small creatures, but rather interesting to watch.

He once shifted into one of those strange beings, to wander the city and gaze upon the curious trinkets they created with those clawless, soft forelegs. He watched as they began to fight with the other element-named cities, destroying forests in the sake of their territorial disputes.

Alarmed at the quick rate they destroyed his precious trees with their blue life energy, he sent one of his foxes down in a guise similar to the one he had worn, to attempt to reason with the leader. The young kitsune had been driven out of the village, screamed at for being a monster after she had attempted to show them her true self, as a way to convince the leader to stop this destruction.

More years passed, the leader kitsune drawing in more power, becoming larger and more fearsome, his distaste for the humans growing as well. A few of the younger foxes had been killed, festivities held whenever one was destroyed that posessed more than one tail. But, at the height of the human's stupidity, the Kyuubi no kitsune discovered a new emotion.

Love.

On one of his yearly sweeps of his outer territory, to check in on the other tailed leaders, he discovered a pure white fox on the outskirts of his lands. She was quite lovely, with an elegant black stripe down her spine, ending with five black-tipped tails. She had kind, bronze eyes and ebony-dipped paws.

The demon lord of the foxes was, for the first time in his long life, struck dumb by the sight of a single creature.

After some gentle convincing, she agreed to become his mate, traveling back with him after seeing to the last of the shared territories.

He showed her the human civilizations, and both watched in contentment as the humans finally decended into peace. When the next battles started to stir up between the Stone and Fire, The White Flame kitsune and Kyuubi agreed that the humans simply needed guidence from their elders, and were like young kits when it came to land and food. They lived too short of lives to properly learn to judge the world around them.

Looking at the younger species, White Flame had come to the conclusion that they were unfit to be left to their own devices. She had convinced the Kyuubi that if they had a son, he would grow up around the humans, to learn their ways. Every Three years, when most young foxes would have a growth spurt, he would change from a kitsune to a human. He would have no need for the power-sapping illusions or mind-jumbling shifts that other kitsunes bore through to blend in with the furless, simply changing form every third year, on the night of the full moon.

Two years after They had come to this agreement, The White Flame went into labor.

As was natural for demons, her body shifted a portion of her power into the child, though with it, had disturbed something inside her. A tumor had been growing, unseen in the Vixen's belly, that led to complications during birth. Despite this, she bore through with the birthing of her first, and last child.

With her last breaths, she made the Kyuubi promise to watch over their son as he grew up in the human's world, and allow him to live as he wished.

Tears leaked from those fiery crimson eyes on the day she passed away, his son curled up contentidly asleep on one of his nine tails, muzzle buried in his fur.

That night, he spoke softly, lacing his words with the spirit energy that laid within him, to make them come true. Ears drooping slightly, Kyuubi spoke away the last piece of White Flame's presence, silently swearing to guide his son, to show him the proper way to live, to make sure he did not fall into the self-destructive habits of the humans.

Golden flames leapt up around the young fox's body, dying his fur the color of the sun. His eyes sparkled like small sapphires, uttering a soft crooning as the Kyuubi no kitsune placed him gently at the door of the village of fire's leader, murmering meaningless noises as his father walked away in the form of a dog-sized nine tailed fox. trying to imitate a fox's soft bark as the deamon lord paused, looking at his son from across the street before vanishing into the shadows.

Only his whispered words remained, and a small ruby pendant inscribed with the now-human child's name.

_'Arashi' _


	2. Chapter 2

The Hokage found the child, and placed him in an orphanage after a long and tiresome search for the family. Three years passed, and the young child disappeared, raising many alarmed protests from the orphanage workers who had fallen in love with the golden-haired child that lit the place with an aura of warmth.

They were unaware of the Golden fox pup romping just outside the village walls, chirruping happily as a flame-colored fox leapt around him, teaching him to hunt and move silently, embedding the morals and mentality of a powerful lord into his son. At night, they slept peacefully, huddled in the hollow of a dead tree, blood red fur mingling with gold.

For the next two years, father and son lived outside of the village walls, coexisting with the animal life, only killing when it was required. On the beginning of the fourth year as a fox, the young kit grew his second tail. It was slightly lighter than his other tail, and did not have the black tip on it, but was a second none the less.

Kyuubi was ecstatic with this new development, and decided to show his son how to shape shift, so even in his human form, he could run in the forest as his instincts urged. The first few days were hectic, but eventually his kit got the hang of it. Now five human years old, his kit turned into a human while still in his fox-form. Bright blue eyes sparkled behind blond spikes, the tufts resembling young animal fur in texture, rather than human hair. But, it was a meaningless difference, and the Kyuubi shifted into a dark red-haired young man with darker blue eyes.

Kyuubi proudly watched as his pup pranced back into the leaf city, following him closely, emitting a weak illusion to make anyone looking to simply pass them off as father and son and leave it at that. He brushed a strand of crimson hair from his eyes as his son whirled around the corner, retracing a remembered pathway toward the orphanage. He almost crashed into his son when he turned the corner only to find the kit stopped head in the middle of the pathway. He looked toward the orphanage, but could not see anything wrong. Children were playing out front, ushered around the yard by older humans, while another, older human watched them with a faint look of sadness.

Kyuubi leaned down to whisper in his son's ear.

"What is that mater, kit? Do you see something wrong?"

Arashi shook his head, golden locks flopping against his forehead. "Nuh-uh, Know him. 'Member him. He 'Member me?" The boy had gestured at the elderly man in the red and white robes, looking up at the fox-turned man inquisitively. Kyuubi stared at the man a moment before the he realized the man was familiar. This was the man who's nest he left his kit at. His lips turned into a small frown, and he took hold of his son's shoulders, telling him quietly to stay in the shadows at the corner. Dont talk to anyone.. Arashi nodded, and Kyuubi send him a foxy grin, walking jauntily down toward the third hokage, as if there wasn't a care in the world.

"Greetings, Hokage-sama." The man turned his head slightly toward the deamon lord in disguise, forcing himself to smile reassuringly at the strange red-haired man.

"You lookin for something?" The red-haired man smiled cheerfully, looking over at the children with his hands in his pants pockets.

Sarabuti sighed, shaking his head. "In my heart, I search, though I know the results will be the same as yesterday. Still, an old man can hope."

"Hmmm." Red-hair tilted his head, dark blue eyes peering intently at the older man.

"Whacha lookin for?"

The hokage's eyes flitted over the children again, smiling as a few of them started a small tussle, still laughing.

"A young child was left in my care. I dont know why the parents abandoned such a beautiful child, he just turned up on my doorstep one day. I handed him over to the orphanage, and they loved him. I couldn't find the parents, and three years later, the child disappears, without a trace." The man sighed, still watching the other children.

"I suppose I just miss the lively little child, and hope whoever took him did it with good intentions."

Kyuubi looked at the old man once more before smiling again, a little more subdued.

"You are a good leader" He murmured quietly, casting his own dark blue eyes toward the corner where he left his son, just now realizing that his decision was not a wise one.

"You really care for each person, each child in this village, even when others look down on them. You are a good example to the children, and a beacon of strength to those who know your true power." Sarabuti looked at the man with surprise and a faint trace of suspision. Very few spoke to him in that manner, though it was welcomed. Still unusual to be started out of the blue, unless used as a distraction. A small frown laced his face when he saw the red-haired man looking at a unoccupied street corner, then shift his gaze to the children.

The third Hokage's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the sunshine-gold hair of the child he had lost among the other more subdued colors. He noted a small chuckle from the red-haired man, and glanced at him when he folded his arms, sharp ears picking up the amused mutter.

'Silly kit never could stay in one place."

They stood in silence for a short while, watching the children play, a certain kitsune grinning happily as his son shrieked with laughter, keeping up and out pacing the other children in their games. When the others flopped on the ground, utterly exhausted, the third was faintly surprised when the golden blonde bounced toward the pair of them, blue eyes sparkling with mischief and joy.

"Im thirsty." He declared, pointing his hand up dramatically, pasting on an expression of disbelief and awe.

The kyuubi shook his head in amusement, playing along.

"Tis indeed a Miracle, young one. Shall we venture onward?"

Arashi grinned , Tackling his father in a playful jump-hug, he turned into a fox in mid-air, landing in his father's arms.

He squeeked in alarm as the transformation failed, but giggled after a moment and snuggled into his father's chest.

The Kyuubi laughed openly at the gobsmacked expression on the leaf-leader's face, leaping nimbly into the shadows, letting his true form show for a moment as he vanished.

Sarabuti sighed, shaking his head and smiling to himself. He looked back to the orphanage, full of happily tired children babbling about the yellow-haired boy who gave them so much fun. Asking when he would be coming again. He chuckled to himself at the bewildered expressions on the poor people's faces.

"Kami help me, I've been pranked by a kitsune and his kit. "

He smiled in amusement once more, a small frown flitting over his face at the sight of one of the children. He lowered his head, walking back to the hokage tower, the image of a small dark-haired girl with nearly black-blue eyes lingering in his mind. . She lingered on the edges of the main group, half-heartidly attempting to play with the few who insisted they bring her into their group.

Yet, in those few minutes of the gold-haired kitsune's presence, the first real smile had appeared on her face since the day her clan...her family had rejected her.

* * *

When they reached the woods, arashi was already laughing, his fox-form translating it into short barks and yips that bubbled from his throat. He squirmed in his father's human arms, golden fur becoming tosouled as he tried to recount what had struck him as funny, while at the same moment, leaping to the ground.

Kyuubi allowed his son to fall to the ground, changing himself as well. To two foxes sat happily in the forest clearing, sunbeams dappling their fur, eyes bright with mirth as each eagerly added to what could have happened, and what they should do if it ever happened again.

More and more elaborate schemes came to mind, and soon they were complentating the image of the village of Konoha dyed a neon green with purple and orange highlights overnight. Banners and stinkbombs also came to mind, but those were quickly dismissed, seeing as they would draw attention away from the main exhibit. Arashi considered throwing a nasty mixture of burrs and stagnent water over the main road, but the Kyuubi pointed out that could actually injure people, who were not as agile as foxes.

When Kyuubi off-handidly mentioned the old man not approving if he woke up to a bucket of water dumped on him, Arashi asked when the mountain was for. At a curious look, he elaborated.

"There were faces, human faces carved into the mountain. One of them looked like the old man, but younger. Well, as young as a slab of stone could get, anyway" Kyuubi snorted "Anyway, what do you think the humans would think if we dressed the humans up to look like prey!"

A moment of silence perverded the clearing while two foxes thought about this new idea.

"BRILLAINT!" Kyuubi leapt up, shouting. He and his son laughed at the idea, and raced back toward the village walls, (not forgetting to hunt on the way) in preperation to wait out till nighfall to strike.

* * *

The next morning, villagers and shinobi alike awoke to outrage. The faces of their honored past leaders had been defiled!

Brown, red and white paint had transformed their current hokage into a humanoid mouse, complete with nearby rock outcroppings drawn as his little mouse ears.

The first face had been turned into a greenish brown deer, strategically placed lines and darker patches of coloring giving it the apperance of actually having a long snout. Many shinobi were outraged that this scandelous thing had happened right under their nose, and set to searching the village for the culprit. Only the Hokage, watching with a bemused expression from his office window, really understood the meaning of the sketch just below the honored sculptures. Two Chibi foxes sat below the painted statues, one yellow, one bright red. Both were smiling mischeviously, and both only had one tail, curled up around their feet.

The village was officailly claimed as kitsune territory.


End file.
